Chapter 6: The Party
Fifteen minutes until the party began, Loan had just exited from the bathroom when she was confronted by Linka and Mannie.
"Loan, we need to talk!" Linka said.
The white haired girl looked angry. Loan grinned, visibly nervous by Linka's visage.
"H-Hey, if it isn't the birthday girl. How has your wonderful day been?" Loan asked, biting away at her nails.
"What is it with you with this beef you have against dancing at parties?" Linka asked angrily.
"This issue is none of your concern! A-And where did you learn of this information? Somebody must have told you, didn't they? Who was it? I bet it was Loki, dispelling information I don't want others to hear! Or it was probably..." Loan started to ask accusingly.
"Betcha it was me, huh?" a voice asked.
Loan looked behind her and saw Ronaldo, flanked by Sam, Luna, Claudia, Lina, Bebe, Lynn III, Lizy, Leif, and Lexx. Linka waved at Ronaldo.
"Hey, Ronaldo." Linka greeted.
Her brother waved back.
"Give it up, Loan. You're completely outnumbered. Grant Ronaldo his wish, and this whole issue will be resolved." Claudia ordered.
"Never! I'M the party planner, which means that whatever party ideas are presented to ME must reach MY approval! Planning the party is MY obligation, and the only person here who can throw a single suggestion at ME without getting vetoed is Linka!" Loan snapped.
"Then, in that case... can we please have dancing at my birthday party?" Linka asked.
Loan gave her younger cousin a dumbfounded look. Who was she to side with her brother on the issue of dancing? And who were the others to side with the boy as well?
"No, no, NO! There will be NO dancing at the party! Who even dances at birthday parties anyway?" Loan asked.
"We have evidence. Remember the time when..." Leif started to ask.
"You have no evidence! Birthday parties are times when we should celebrate someone growing up, not all this junk about dancing! Why, if I..." Loan started to say.
"Loan, just listen for a second! Don't you see? Being given the ability to plan the party has done all sorts of things to your head. You think you have all the power in the world, and you can boss people around all you like, when you're only doing this for one night, and one night only!" Bebe said.
Loan looked down at the floor, over what her younger sister had just said. The other girl was right. She was drunk with power, and because of that, the girl alienated everyone with her profound arrogance and overbearing attitude. She was supposed to be displaying humility and kindness, but all of that became nonexistent once she was deemed party planner. So admitting defeat, Loan knew exactly what she had to do to put the situation to an end.
"Dancing... is allowed." Loan said.
A wave of euphoria swept the hall, and everyone cheered and applauded. Linka ran up to Ronaldo and gave him a hug.
"I'm so proud of you, Ronaldo!" Linka said happily.
Soon after, Linka's birthday party began, and it was definitely popping in the ballroom. Balloons and decorations littered every corner of the room, and at the center of the ballroom was Linka's glorious birthday cake, covered in orange and white icing. Liena had already done her magic trick, which was escaping from being chained inside a water tank, and Luke, Liena, Sam, and Luna were now up. All four were playing music together, and Luna finished off the song with her guitar and knee slid on stage.
"Thank you, everyone! And happy birthday, Linka!" Luna shouted.
She, her two oldest children, and her best friend walked off stage while everyone applauded.
All the Loud siblings and their spouses, as well as Rita, Lynn Sr., and some of the other families the other Loud House characters had as well, had arrived at the party by this point. Lori broke away from Bobby and walked over to Loni. Her height and body type were now similar to Rita's, and her large perm was long gone. Her hair was now pulled back into a neat ponytail, and she still wore her usual light blue eye shadow and red lipstick. Currently, she was dressed in a light blue business suit with matching expensive-looking light blue heels. She was still a very attractive woman and took very good care of herself.
"Loni, weren't you supposed to bake the cake?" Lori asked.
She had seen her nephew playing checkers with Liena earlier before her turn on stage, and wondered if he was slacking off on his duties.
"Lemy had Aunt Leni and Aunt Lola take over for me. He said that I wasn't cut out for such a colossal baking project." Loni replied.
"I could have told you that myself." Lori muttered.
"Told me what yourself?" Loni asked nervously.
His self-confidence was on the verge of blemish. Lori noticed how her nephew was acting.
"That you're an even better cook than Leni and Lola!" Lori replied.
Loni relaxed and shrugged.
"I wouldn't say it's much of an accomplishment, but I'll take what I get." Loni said.
Lexx was sitting with Leif, and was rather anxious. A birthday party was irrelevant to him whenever cake was abound.
"When are we going to eat the cake?" Lexx asked impatiently.
"We have to sing happy birthday to Linka first." Leif replied.
The boy didn't care that much for the cake. Instead, he was dying to give Linka some presents he got her.
"Well what are we waiting for? We can just sing it right now and get it over with!" Lexx asked angrily.
"No, Lexx, everyone has to eat first!" Leif replied.
Pizza was the primary food being served at the party, but there were other foods as well. One of the food items happened to be hot wings.
"Come to papa!" Chaz said.
He sat underneath one of the tables, eating his hot wings without anyone disturbing him. He wore an outfit similar to the one he wore in his younger days, and was just about as chubby as he was in his younger years. Lynn lifted up the tablecloth and saw her brother-in-law eating the hot wings. She still looked like her younger self, but was now much taller, her ponytail was a bit shorter, and she wore a red varsity jacket over her jersey.
"So that's where the hot wings are." Lynn said.
The orange haired man was startled by her, nearly dropping his beloved wings.
"Chaz, those wings aren't meant for one person. Everybody has to get their fair share!" Lynn said.
She took the bowl of hot wings away from him. Meanwhile, Bobby was speaking with Loan near the punch bowl. Bobby wasn't much different from when he was a teenager. He was a bit taller, and his shirt was now long sleeved, buttoned up, and tucked into his pants. He also had a mustache that went along with his goatee.
"Bebe told me of how you were acting as the so-called 'party planner'. She said that you were acting all righteous and commanding. Care to explain why?" Bobby asked.
"It's just that... I've never been given an authoritative role in such a long time. You know how shot my nerves are. When Uncle Lincoln said I was the party planner, I thought I could do this and that, and a whole lot of other things. But instead, I made myself a pompous fool." Loan replied.
Bobby laid a comforting hand on his middle child's shoulder.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, honey. You were just trying to do the right thing. Lincoln has to take most of the blame. And I suppose Lemy could take blame as well. He could have helped more, but he's more interested in writing his love letter to Lizy at the last minute. In doing so, he nearly affected the party." Bobby said.
"Yeah." Loan muttered.
She looked to her left and watched Lemy talk with Lizy. The white haired girl turned away, and Lemy looked into his pockets for his love letter. But for some reason, he didn't have it. But before he could look around further, Lincoln stepped up to the front of the ballroom. His outfit remained the same from his younger years and he looked relatively the same, only now with a faint scruff on his chin. However, his white hair made it impossible to notice unless someone looked closely. His hair was also the same, but his head had grown the same bean shape as his sisters.
"Attention, everyone! It is now time to sing happy birthday to Linka!" Lincoln shouted, gathering everyone's attention.
"About time!" Lexx said happily.
He ran off to fetch a plate and then returned to his original position.
"We're not cutting the cake now. You do realize that, right?" Leif asked.
"I'm just getting prepared!" Lexx replied.
Because of the cake's height, someone had to get a ladder so Linka could blow out the candles. While Liby went to go fetch a ladder, Krystal arrived, and she found Luke and Mannie with Gloom. Krystal had light purple hair and blue eyes, and she wore a rocker outfit similar to his own, only in dark blue colors.
"Hey, Krystal. I see you finally came." Luke greeted.
Krystal smiled as she approached the three. In her hand was a present.
"Came just in time." Krystal said.
"Glad to see you're all healthy again." Mannie greeted.
Krystal then noticed Gloom's frown.
"What's wrong with you, Gloom?" Krystal asked.
"Gloom's in love with Lane." Mannie replied.
He pointed at Lane, who was hanging out with Luan while they waited for Liby to return. Luan's height and body type were now like Rita's when she and Lynn Sr. had started dating. Her outfit now consisted of a sleeveless yellow blouse, with her flower now placed over her right breast area, long dark gray pants, and brown shoes with yellow ankle socks in place of her old knee highs. Benny wasn't at the party, as he had been hospitalized after one of Luan's pranks had gone wrong. He was going to be released the next day, so because he was missing the party, he sent word to Linka congratulating her on her birthday and apologizing that he couldn't make it.
"Oh, you don't say? Are they a couple?" Krystal asked.
"Not quite. You know how Lane is like. He refuses to return the favor. But I have a plan that will unite their hearts together." Luke replied.
Liby finally retrieved a ladder and positioned it in front of the cake. Linka climbed up the ladder, and Loki and Lyra helped her light the candles. The happy birthday song commenced, much the joy of Lexx.
"Cake time!" Lexx said happily.
The first part of the song ended... only for the second part to commence, the part where the crowd asks how old you are, even though they're supposed to know already. Lexx's eyes twitched, not being able to take the wait any longer. He needed his cake now. After the third part of the birthday song ended, Linka blew out the candles, greeted with cheers. It was then time for the gift exchange. Linka returned to her seat, ready to receive some gifts. Leif, Krystal, and a handful of others handed the white haired girl their presents. Some were more simple than others. Winston's present for Linka was a fancy-looking handkerchief, while Lupe's was a golden necklace with a crescent moon she crafted herself. But as the gifts were being handed out, Lina suddenly barged into the ballroom after having left for a minute.
"Stop the presses! Listen to what I'm about to read to you!" Lina shouted.
The blonde haired girl held up Lemy's love letter in the air. The boy paled in fear as he noticed what it was. Lina cleared her throat, before reading the love letter.
"Ahem... to the love of my life, Lizy... do you know the effect you have on me? Even in times of stress, I find myself calmer than usual. I always seem to find the lighter side in things and situations. This is so unlike me, the pessimist I used to be. No matter how hard I would try, I used to be impossible to think positive. But right from when you walked into my life, things have changed. You have become like the biggest strength in my life. Every day with you I learn something new. Your positive nature, your ability to see good in every one and your kindness has reflected in me and is making me so much like you. I am loving the new me and hence falling in love with you even more. Every passing day makes me realize how important you are to me. I never want to lose you my darling. I love you today and I will love you forever. Because you are my angel. With much love... Lemy." Lina read out loud.
Lizy was immediately overwhelmed with emotion. The love letter struck her in the heart, in an emotional way. She never knew Lemy was so proficient at writing letters. She turned to Lemy.
"You wrote that... for me?" Lizy asked, teary-eyed.
"Uh, yeah, anything for you!" Lemy replied.
Lizy smiled and gave Lemy a big kiss. The boy was all romantically mesmerized at the end. Sam stood by Luna, watching their children from afar. Part of her was happy for her daughter, while another part of her wanted to grab the boy by his collar and drag him away from her daughter. Luna turned to her best friend.
"Well, Sam, it looks as if we will be future in-laws." Luna said.
"Yes, it would appear so, Luna. Though, I must say I'm not sure I am quite ready to see my daughter find a boyfriend... even if said boyfriend is your son." Sam said.
"Ah, cheer up, Sam. I myself thought I wouldn't have to worry about this for a while, but... what matters is that our children are happy." Luna said with a smile.
She looked and saw Lemy happier than she had ever seen him.
"I suppose you're right, Luna." Sam said.
Loki smiled on at the sight of his younger cousin and his friend, before turning his attention to the others.
"Time to party! Everyone hit the dance floor!" Loki shouted.
The party members, except for Lexx, who was too busy eating the cake, headed to the dance floor and began dancing. Luke nudged Gloom.
"Now's your chance. Go dance with Lane!" Luke whispered.
Gloom nodded trudged her away towards Lane. The boy immediately pulled her to the dance floor and lovingly gazed into her eyes.
"All is forgiven, right? Sorry about how creepy you've been towards me?" Lane asked.
The boy grinned romantically, concerning Gloom.
"Y-Yes?" Gloom replied, unsure.
Mannie had decided to help his sister. He asked Lupa if she could give Lane a love potion that instantly made him love Gloom, and although she said such a potion took a lot of work to make, she obliged to do it anyway. She put the potion in Lane's drink at the party, and it seemed to work.
"Shall we dance?" Lane asked.
Gloom was no longer confused. The fact that Gloom finally liked her now made her content.
"Let's dance!" Gloom replied.
The two started to dance on the dance floor. Luke and Krystal watched Lane and Gloom dance.
"I guess your master plan worked." Krystal said.
Luke smiled.
"It worked a lot better than I expected." Luke replied.
Meanwhile, Linka had on a pair of dance shoes, which was a present from Leni. She turned to Ronaldo.
"Wanna go tear it up on the dance floor?" Linka asked
Ronaldo shook his head and held his head in sadness.
"Yeah, if only I had my..." Ronaldo started to reply.
"Dancing shoes?" a voice asked.
Ronaldo and Linka both looked up to see Loan, holding the same dancing shoes she had thrown away earlier.
"I thought you might wanted these. Sorry for my rudeness and arrogance throughout today. I promise it won't happen again." Loan explained.
"I'm certain it won't." Ronaldo said.
He put the dancing shoes on and looked back at Linka.
"You ready?" Ronaldo asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Linka replied.
She took the tan skinned boy's hand, and the two siblings made their way down the dance floor.